“I was literally afraid to go to work and I was having nightmares,” said Christina Daly, owner of Sparrow Dance Productions, who also works as a teacher in Rio Rancho. “I was afraid for my students, because I want to be able to protect them.”

So Daly teamed up with Gloria Marcott, a Rio Rancho police officer who runs Soul Punch Self Defense, to offer a free self-defense training every Sunday for teachers and for anyone else who feels they need it.

Heidi Kenworthy, a teacher at the Rio Rancho Cyber Academy, said the extra training was a way to channel fear into something productive.

“You can change your nightmares into something that you have a solid plan of action for, which gives us peace and comfort,” she said. “And then you can refocus on teaching your kids.”

The class comes after the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., that killed 17 people. The attack, among the deadliest school shootings in American history, has reopened a national discussion on school safety and gun control, including consideration of allowing teachers to carry weapons in school.